Fall Fest returns to downtown Holland

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Courtesy Downtown Holland

Celebrating fall is in the air in downtown Holland.

The annual Fall Fest celebration will return Friday, Oct. 8, and Saturday, Oct. 9, in downtown Holland and at the Holland Farmers Market at 150 W. Eighth St.

The event will include pumpkin carving, pumpkin painting, street performers, community tulip planting, an artisan market, fall walking tours and more.

The Fall Fest will begin with Community Tulip Planting from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. on Friday. Visitors can help plant 75,000 tulip bulbs at Window On The Waterfront at 85 E. 6th St. Volunteers can visit the Tulip Time website to sign up for a time slot and bring their garden gloves. All the other tools and instructions are on the Tulip Time website.

The day will continue with eight professional pumpkin carvers, including a Food Network alumnus, who will carve jack-o’-lanterns on Eighth Street from 3-7 p.m. The jack-o’-lantern will then be lit and displayed until 10 p.m.

The professional pumpkin carvers will be back from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday to carve 3D sculptures. They also will be on Eighth Street from 12-7 p.m. to carve pumpkins, which will be on display from 7-10 p.m. Children will get to paint their own pumpkins to take home for $1.

The Holland Farmers Market will be open from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Vendors will sell décor items including pumpkins, gourds, mums and corn shocks, along with apples, squash, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, carrots and other root vegetables. Bread and baked goods, farm-raised and fresh caught meat, honey, maple syrup and a variety of specialty foods and beverages also will be on sale.

In conjunction with the farmers market’s opening hours, community tulip planting will continue from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Window On The Waterfront. Walking tours through Holland will take place from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Locals and visitors will see places such as Hope College, Dimnent Chapel, Pillar Church, Centennial Park and architecture sites. Tickets for the walking tours are $25 per person and must be purchased in advance on the Tulip Time website.

Tulip Time also will host a new event called Artisan Market from 10 a.m.-5p.m. Saturday at Windmill Island Gardens at 1 Lincoln Ave. in Holland. Over 50 local artisans and crafters will sell their work as part of a juried show.

Visitors can purchase handcrafted jewelry, home décor, artwork, clothing, specialty foods and more. Entry to the Artisan Market is $5 per person, which includes the opportunity to tour the gardens at Windmill Island and to visit Dutch attractions such as the DeZwaan Windmill, the Dutch carousel, the miniature Dutch village and more.

Street performers will be on Eighth Street from 12-4 p.m. Musicians, face painters, balloon twisters and others will also be a part of the festivities.

Master ice sculptor and pumpkin carver Greg Butauski will show off his talent on Friday and Saturday. The Ohio native will carve a 949-pound pumpkin in GDK Park, 5 W. Eighth St. in Holland.

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